It’s that time of year again – cold weather, holiday sweaters, and, of course, German Christmas Markets! Whether it’s the Glühwein or the good old German gemütlichkeit that you seek, you’ll find it at the hundreds of Christkindlmarkts all over Germany!
Throughout Germany, Christmas markets celebrate seasonal customs and traditions in delightful historical settings. Particularly popular with visitors are Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt and the Striezelmarkt in Dresden. Choose from more than 150 of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany! Here are just a sample before. Thanks to germany.travel for the article!
Nuremberg Christmas Market
On the Hauptmarkt of the historic Old Town the ‘Christ Child’ ceremoniously opens the world famous Nuremburg Christmas market. The unique Christmas city presents a medieval atmosphere, the original Nuremburg gingerbread, Nuremburg Bratwurst, and the largest Feuerzangenbowle in the world. Atmospheric Advent and Christmas concerts in the churches, a traditional nativity play in the baroque church of St. Egidien and the Spitalgasse, Children’s Christmas on Hans-Sachs-Platz, Partner City Market on Rathausplatz, crafts and arts in the Handwerkerhof, a parade by lamp light to the castle and rides on the post carriages – Nuremburg is turned into a unique all-out Christmas experience.
The Dresden Striezelmarkt
Welcome to one of the oldest and largest Christmas market in Germany, the Dresden Striezelmarkt, named after the original Dresden Christmas stollen, the Striezel. The market is ceremoniously opened with the turning on of the world’s largest Christmas pyramid, standing at 14m, and the cutting of the stollen. Numerous other highlights await: the Pflaumentoffelhaus, the Knusperhaus, the fairytale house, the Christmas bakery, the elf cinema, the puppet theatre near the Advent calendar and the crowning of the Gingerbread Princess. A feast for the eyes and ears are the many Christmas music and dance performances. Especially eventful are the multiple festivals before Christmas: the stollen festival (9 Dec), during which a giant stollen is carried from the Zwinger to the Striezelmarkt, where it is ceremoniously cut and shared out, Pflaumentoffelfest, the gingerbread festival, the pyramid festival and the traditional Saxon Bergmann’s Christmas.
Christmas Market in Munich
The highly traditional “Munich Christmas Market” invites you to the Marienplatz with its historic town hall. It’s just a few steps to Germany’s biggest “Kripperlmarkt”, where you can find everything that belongs at a Christmas crip. When the live music rings out daily from the town hall’s balcony you find yourself completely immersed in Advent. In the Himmelswerkstadt children don shimmering robes and golden wings to become little angels who bake, draw and make models. You might bump into Bishop Nicholas with his companion “Krampus” in the Budengassen, giving life to a five hundred year old Alpine tradition.
For all the information on all of the Christkindlmarkts happening in Germany this year, click here!